Just back - Opinions and Observations

[Kalea]

Thank you for taking the time to report your experiences!

 

[JanaDee]

OK, so I was very much against FP+ from the onset. Here is my opinion of both after 10 days in the world.

MB's we had a bunch of issues with the first 2 days. Nobody's tickets were tied to the bands. After the 2nd day, that was resolved, except for the occasional blue light getting into the park, but that happened before MB's as well, so no surprise. No real advantage over the cards, other than everybody has to wear their own. I think it's kind of silly to expect a young child to want to wear one for an extended period of time, but it is what it is.

FP+ - I'll break it down simply. In theory, idea is OK, but the number needs to increase (especially in Magic Kingdom), and tiering needs to go away. We never had problems with our FP+ not working. The MDE app at times was fast and fantastic, and at other times was slow and inaccurate. It would allow us to change a FP, then we'd go check and it wouldn't show up. That was annoying. Biggest problem of all - The kiosks. We never waited less than 10 minutes to get access to one to make 4th selection and so on. If they moved this over to the app (and got the app working the way it should), then it would be great. But what is the point of standing in line to get something that is supposed to let you avoid standing in line?

I found that the best way to make use of FP+ was to pick out the most popular selections first thing in the morning, then choose rides like Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Pooh, Jungle Cruise, Pirates for later in the day. The FP return time never seemed to be more than 30 minutes later for those. Problem is, rides that never had lines before (It's A Small World, Pirates, Imagination, Carousel, Teacups) all have lines now. And rides that had shorter waits of around 20-30 minutes, now have waits of 40-60 minutes.

So, there are definitely bugs to work out. Most CM's seemed happy to help. We ran into some fantastic ones, and we ran into some miserable ones.

Bottom line - It's not nearly as bad as I feared, and there is great potential for the system, but there's much work to do.

Parks - Magic Kingdom and Epcot had it's typical share of walls up. Lots of cracks in pavement at MK, but other than that, the park looked good.

Downtown Disney - Avoid at all costs. Only having the 1 bus stop has created a disaster area at the Marketplace bus stop. It's not worth the trip.

Tour Groups were everywhere, but were pretty well behaved. Seems like some rules have been put in place for them. Universal was a different story. They were obnoxious, rude and disrespectful there. Thumbs up to Disney for whatever they have done to improve this problem.

Transportation - We stayed at the Boardwalk and it was awful. We waited 30, 40, even 60 minutes for a bus. Most times it was standing because they picked up at Yacht and Beach first. Loved the resort but will never stay there again because of the bus issues.

I'll post a separate report on food in the restaurant section.

I was there at the same time as you, SOA. Our MB's worked fine, but I talked to others that weren't as fortunate (many had split stays as a common factor).

We only used MDE for wait times. I didn't trust it to use for anything else.

The lines at kiosks are unacceptable. I am not willing to wait 30 mins to avoid standing in line for 30 mins. I asked a CM at one of the kiosks about when people could use the app for a 4th FP+ and she said she wasn't sure, but she had heard maybe in the Fall.

South American tour groups were better, but we still heard chanting and clapping, not to mention the complete lack of self-awareness they have for personal space while in lines. I wasn't the least bit surprised to see the contempt and hostility shown to them by other guests, even while just walking past.

DTD and The Hub were a mess and so were most of the bathrooms we used. More benches have been removed, especially near the Adventure Land bathrooms/walk thru.

CM's ran the gamut from the condescending concierge at AKL to the friendly and helpful CM's at BTMRR. Every time we rode it (and we rode it a lot) the CM's were smiling, friendly and efficient in their jobs.

Many people still have no clue on how to use FP+.

AKL was beautiful and I'd definitely stay there again.

By the end of our trip, I was done with rude and pushy people from the Northeast.

Weather was nice while we were there and we only had one night that was a total washout due to storms.

 

[JanaDee]

I just think it's human nature. We all want more. More FP's. More money. More vacation.

I found the problem to be just at the Magic Kingdom. 3 isn't enough. Not when you have 30 some odd attractions. If they could simply get the extra FP's to be booked on your phone, that would go a long way. The kiosks were just a mess and very frustrating.

I agree 3 isn't enough at MK.

 

[MrInfinity]

Not picking on you But I see this comment a lot..."FPP would be ok if I could get more"...Ditto for tiering since removing tiering would in essence give you more for the headliners.

I guess I don't get this comment? The whole point of FPP is so Disney can ration out rides as they see fit. And the tiers were put in after so saying it would be better if the tiers went away seems like wishful thinking.

Yeah, agreed. I never understand the "would be great if I could get more" concept. We've already hashed out the number of ridings vs the number of people, right? There are not enough ridings of say, Soarin and TT in a day, to give each guest a FP+ to each of them.

So really if you want more, the only option is to point to who should get less in exchange. More for resort guests / less for off-siters? Sell more for a price? (i.e. more for the wealthy, less for the modest?) More for early arrivers / less for late arrivers? Who specifically would you take a 3rd FP+ away from to give another person a 4th?

Glad to hear overall positive thoughts! I really liked FP+, myself. I came to basically the same conclusion as you. Use all the tools at your disposal and you're fine. That is combine Rope Drop with using the 3 at good / busy times, and then trying to pull bits and pieces more later. You even went in the summer, and the system withstood a heavy day in your opinion it seems.

 

[MrInfinity]

there is no question that the kiosks are the biggest issue with FP+. at MK, if you ride Thunder or Splash, and it was FP+ #3 or higher, you have to walk all the way to the alcove between Frontierland and Adventureland to wait in line to get another FP+. What a hassle if you want to use it for either Thunder or Splash, and really, it's just not set up well.

Side note: it took us 1:15 to get from DTD back to Beach Club last month in the middle of the day. Avoid DTD right now unless you can walk or boat it.

I too found it odd there was no FP+ station in Frontierland by Splash / Thunder. Yet there are two stations in Adventureland pretty close to each other.

Other than that, while SOA said there was no wait less than 10 min for a kiosk, in May there was no wait more than 10 min. Busy time / Moderate time difference definitely shows there.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Been looking forward to your report SOA, thanks for the info. Out of curiosity, were any of the nighttime shows available as a 4th FP for any park? That's one of the frustrating things is if you use a FP+ on one, you are locked into 3 total for the day.

 

[asmit4]

The 'problem' with the current system- and I use the word problem loosely- is that 'back in the day'....FP was there for the taking for those who wanted to WORK for it. I was willing to run around like a crazy person, wake up and be at rope drop, I also knew the FPs that were 'off the circuit' which helped me acquire more FPs- and get 7/8 FPs in a day. NOW- the system is 'more fair'....it's not about working the system. It's open to everyone and that stinks. (TO ME)

 

[jade1]

The 'problem' with the current system- and I use the word problem loosely- is that 'back in the day'....FP was there for the taking for those who wanted to WORK for it. I was willing to run around like a crazy person, wake up and be at rope drop, I also knew the FPs that were 'off the circuit' which helped me acquire more FPs- and get 7/8 FPs in a day. NOW- the system is 'more fair'....it's not about working the system. It's open to everyone and that stinks. (TO ME)

When I get home next week I'll have a lot more to say about MB and FP+, but just thought I'd share. We were at Magic Kingdom for 7 hours today and managed 7 FP's. As someone who blasted the system before trying it, I have to admit, that's pretty good. If we had stayed all day, we easily would have done over 10. That's the good news. There is some bad parts to this, but the important thing is that the system CAN work. Disney just needs to work out some large and obvious bugs.

SOA had the same success with FP+.

 

[JZCubed]

Disney bus service is all too often disrespectful to Guests.

It is simply unconscionable to make Guests wait far more than the expected 20 minutes for a bus. EVER.

Any one Bus route is limited to so few Resorts that it defies logic when a bus does not appear after 20 minutes. Sure, there can be bottle necks at the Parks and/or Downtown Disney, but this should encourage a knowing Dispatcher to…..dispatch buses to a Resort when there is a bottleneck at the Parks/DTD.

Adding insult to injury, when a bus for a different Park pulls into a Resort and sees countless people waiting for a particular Park or two, it again defies logic that these bus drivers do not notify their Dispatchers. Matter of fact, after experiencing one of these moments myself, one bus driver had the audacity to say they could not communicate with a Dispatcher to deliver such a message.

Moreover, when there is such a long line at any one Resort, that same bus driver could notify the Dispatcher so that an additional bus can be sent. Why? Because we have all seen a few families left behind when the bus finally arrives and reaches capacity before every family can get aboard a bus.

Disney effectively requires Guests from their hotels to use buses to/from the Parks & DTD (or we could use cars and clog the parking lots). So I'll say it again, it is unconscionable that there are so many issues with Guests experiencing bus schedules that fail to meet the 20 minute expectation that Disney promises - this is most outrageous during the morning hours when guests are anxious to ride rides and spend money.

I'll be blunt, when I have a bad start to my day (like waiting 45 minutes or more for a bus), I am far less likely to spend extra money in the Parks. From a cost/benefit analysis, Disney should want to get each and every Guest to the Parks as soon as possible. Putting more buses in-route to pick-up Guests in the morning is in the best interest of Disney.

Having Guests wait more than the promised 20 minutes is unconscionable and is a money loser for Disney. Disney should do everything it possibly can to make certain this never happens. EVER.

And please, nobody should suggest that this is an uncommon occurrence. Far too many people have at least one bad bus experience per trip to Disney. Even assuming that every family stays for 10-days, this means at least a 10% failure rate for delivering buses at the 20-minute intervals promised by Disney. This simply shows that Disney transportation is disrespectful to Guests.

Just imagine if any other portion of your trip had a 10% (or worse) failure rate. Imagine if your favorite attraction was broken or closed for maintenance 10% of the time, or a restaurant had you wait for your ADR for more than 45 minutes 10% of the time, or your Magic Band failed to work 10% of the time, or Cast Members were rude 10% of the time….Disney would do something about it.

So I wonder why Disney does so little to improve the constant failure of their transportation system, particularly when there is money riding on any improvements.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I was there at the same time as you, SOA. Our MB's worked fine, but I talked to others that weren't as fortunate (many had split stays as a common factor). We only used MDE for wait times. I didn't trust it to use for anything else. The lines at kiosks are unacceptable. I am not willing to wait 30 mins to avoid standing in line for 30 mins. I asked a CM at one of the kiosks about when people could use the app for a 4th FP+ and she said she wasn't sure, but she had heard maybe in the Fall. South American tour groups were better, but we still heard chanting and clapping, not to mention the complete lack of self-awareness they have for personal space while in lines. I wasn't the least bit surprised to see the contempt and hostility shown to them by other guests, even while just walking past. DTD and The Hub were a mess and so were most of the bathrooms we used. More benches have been removed, especially near the Adventure Land bathrooms/walk thru. CM's ran the gamut from the condescending concierge at AKL to the friendly and helpful CM's at BTMRR. Every time we rode it (and we rode it a lot) the CM's were smiling, friendly and efficient in their jobs. Many people still have no clue on how to use FP+. AKL was beautiful and I'd definitely stay there again. By the end of our trip, I was done with rude and pushy people from the Northeast. Weather was nice while we were there and we only had one night that was a total washout due to storms.

Just curious...how could you tell they were from the Northeast?

 

[Mad Hattered]

I'm going to guess the accent gave it away. Or maybe it was the I heart NY shirts.

 

[puffkin]

We took the bus twice from DTD to BWV a few weeks ago. We had driven there, but DS8 and DH drove back to the resort after spending time in DQ so we just hopped on a bus when we were finished shopping. Both times it took us a little 1 hour 15 minutes. The first time was mid afternoon on a Saturday, the second time was around 8:30 on a Wed night. The first time we stopped at TL and all 5 Epcot resorts (I thought we were only doing Swan/Dolphin and then BW) I should have gotten off at Swan but didn't realize we were going to all of them. The second time no TL but we waited almost 40 minutes at the bus stop, someone had a scooter to load, and our bus got stopped about 10 minutes negotioting the turns at DTD because another bus was loading a scooter. We even got off at the Swan and walked back that time and it still took that long. NEVER AGAIN

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

I'm going to guess the accent gave it away. Or maybe it was the I heart NY shirts.

It's true, even in July heat we all walk around in track suits constantly saying "Fuhgettaboutit" all the time. Oh and yes, we're all in the mob.

 

[alicat8]

Good info about DTD... Maybe we'll skip it this trip.

 

[JZCubed]

Just curious...how could you tell they were from the Northeast?

Being that I'm from NYC, I find the comment to be quite curious.

Of all the places I've traveled, some of the friendliest and most helpful locals are from the Northeast.

For instance, any Tourist standing on a corner with a map in Manhattan will be offered advice from many NY'ers who will gladly offer assistance without even being asked. Try the experiment in Paris.

As to the idea of being pushy - this is only really possible at Disney while waiting for the Parades and/or Fireworks. And frankly, I could anecdotally mention that foreigners (non-Americans) are less polite than Americans by virtue of pushing to the front of the crowds that have lined-up long before these folks arrive, but I have also found foreigners to be far more polite when it comes to not putting feet on public seats, or cleaning after themselves at Qwik Service places, and a host of other examples.

So really, if we arrive at a place with certain prejudices, we will always find examples that reinforce our prejudices. But if we have an open heart, then we will likely find people from other places are far more like us than different.

 

[Missyrose]

Good info about DTD... Maybe we'll skip it this trip.

Taking a cab to and from DTD is well worth the money.

 

[JanaDee]

I'm going to guess the accent gave it away. Or maybe it was the I heart NY shirts.

Yes, it was the accents.

 

[JanaDee]

Being that I'm from NYC, I find the comment to be quite curious.

Of all the places I've traveled, some of the friendliest and most helpful locals are from the Northeast.

For instance, any Tourist standing on a corner in Manhattan will be offered advice from many NY'ers who will gladly offer assistance without even being asked. Try the experiment in Paris.

As to the idea of being pushy - this is only really possible at Disney while waiting for the Parades and/or Fireworks. And frankly, I could anecdotally mention that foreigners (non-Americans) are less polite than Americans by virtue of pushing to the front of the crowds that have lined-up long before these folks arrive, but I have also found foreigners to be far more polite when it comes to not putting feet on public seats, or cleaning after themselves at Qwik Service places, and a host of other examples.

So really, if we arrive at a place with certain prejudices, we will always find examples that reinforce our prejudices. But if we have an open heart, then we will likely find people from other places are far more like us than different.

We didn't watch any parades or fireworks.

 

[JZCubed]

We didn't watch any parades or fireworks.

So people are pushy standing on-line?

By the way, would it be OK if I, being from the Northeast, assumed people with Southern accents were not smart?

And for the record, I went to college in the South.

 

[JanaDee]

So people are pushy standing on-line?

By the way, would it be OK if I, being from the Northeast, assumed people with Southern accents were not smart?

And for the record, I went to college in the South.

You can assume whatever you'd like. My opinion comes from many different experiences over the years at Disney.

It is part of the reason my opinion about Disney has soured.

If it does not apply to you, then no reason to get your knickers in a twist.